THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



489 



ESTIMATE OF THE INCREASED VALUE OF 

 PROPERTY IN KING WILLIAM COUNTY, 

 CAUSED BY MARLING. 



The foregoing article, even though Incomplete 

 and imperfect, is a valuable contribution to the 

 agricultural statistics of Virginia. We have in 

 vain endeavored to procure similar statements 

 from other marling counties ; and we trust that 

 this communication (lor which we are indebted 

 to the public spirit of Messrs. Fontaine and 

 Powell) will induce sundry others of our friends, 

 in different counties, to follow the example thus 

 furnished. If the legislature would require a list 

 of marled and limed lands to be taken by the 

 commissioners of the revenue next spring, when 

 taking the lists of taxable property, such a 

 statement would be full and correct, and it would 

 show a general resuh of value already derived lo 

 Virginia from these sources very lar exceeding 

 what most persons would suppose. 



Though the names of all the individuals who 

 had applied marl were set down by Mr. Powell, 

 the taker of the census, unluckily the clerk did 

 not deem it necessary to copy them. This we 

 very much regret. It would add much to the in- 

 terest of such documents, and especially when 

 they shall be read in future times, for them to 

 show who were the persons who had made the 

 earliest progress in marling, and also the lands on 

 which they labored, as well as the extent of land 

 thus improved. The latter is indeed by far the 

 most important point — and that is dcubtless cor- 

 rectly stated in the foregoing list. Upon these 

 unquestionable data we shall construct and sub- 

 . mit some calculations of profit and value. 



Without taking into consideration any land 

 marled since, it appears that there had been marl- 

 ed, at the close of 1840, in the small county of 

 King William, 9370 acres. Let us endeavor to 

 estimate, upon sure grounds, what is the conse- 

 quent increase of net profit and of permanent 

 value, to the proprietors of the land. 



As the three-shift rotation is the most general, 

 let us suppose it to be the one in practice on these 

 marled lands; the course of crops being 1, corn, 

 2, wheat, (or oats,) 3, clover, or natural grass and 

 weeds where the sowing of clover is neglected. 

 For all details, I will adopt the general estimate 

 given at page 120 of the new edition (now in the 

 course of publication) of the ' Essay on Calcareous 

 Manures,' the sheet containing which estimate 

 will accompany this number, and to which the 

 reader is referred for any particulars not here men- 

 tioned or made clear. Applying that general es- 

 timate to the marled lands of the county of King 



William, and assuming the increased net product 

 of corn per acre to be 10 bushels, and of wheat, 

 5 bushels, then the statement of actual general 

 increased profit, and value derived as early as 1841 

 will be as follows ; 



In corn, one third of 9370 acres, or 3123 

 acres, of which the increased net pro- 

 duct, (caused by marling) is on an 

 average 10 bushels per acre=31230 

 bushels, at 50 cents= - - $15,616 



One third, or 3123 acres, in wheat, yield- 

 ing on the average of increased net 

 product 5 bushels per acre=15615 

 bushels, at ^1, (or if in data, equal 



value)= $15,615 



One third, 3123 acres, in clover or weeds, 

 and counted as yielding no pecuniary 

 value, 00. 



Total net annual profit from marling, 

 then accruing, .... $31,230 

 As this net annual increase will without ques- 

 tion be permanent, (under the course of culture 

 supposed) for all future time, this amount of clear 

 profit maybe assumed ascertain for every year 

 thereal'ter — without counting any thing for the still 

 growing effects of the same marlings, or of the 

 further extension of marling. And therefore, this 

 sum of $31,230 is but the annual interest of the 

 capital sum by which the property of the marlers 

 of King William had been increased in 1840. 

 Thecapital which would yield this interest, at 6 per 

 cent., is $520,500 ; and, according to our grounds 

 of estimate, that was the increased wealth then 

 already produced. The extent of surface marled 

 in 1840 will probably be tripled in ten years, and 

 the increased net product of each acre, in some 

 future time, made double what is stated above — 

 so that it is not improbable that the increased 

 value of capital, and of intrinsic value, supposed 

 to be $520,500 for 1840, will hereafter grow to 

 SIX times that amount, or more than $3,000,000. 

 But though the above annual increased product 

 would be all clear profit on the cultivation, (of 

 which all the increased expenses were supposed 

 to be paid,) still when estimating the increased 

 value of capital, the cost of the investment should 

 be deducted. That cost is the expense of the 

 marling. This varies with every operation ; but 

 it is probable that $4 the acre would be an ample 

 allowance for the average cost of all the marling 

 above stated. This, for 9370 acres, would be 

 $37,480, which should be deducted from the new- 

 ly created capital of $520,600, leaving of it 

 $483,020 clear gain, in 1840. 



